my favorite episodes involve bender in a side plot (like Cyberhouse rules) or sharing the spotlight with Fry (War is the H-word, first half of Cryonic Woman). As with most of you, I don't like bender-centic episodes as much (Although Godfellas and Bender gets Made were quite good)

My final word - Futurama is a show that has several main characters. In my opinion, their screen time hierarchy should go something like this -1. Fry2. Leela3. Bender4. Amy/Zoidy/Hermes5. ProfAnd then the minor characters.

It's become a series about Bender, with everyone else as supporting characters and that is bad bad bad.

Bender is a good character, and can carry an episode by himself. "Godfellas" was quite brilliant. His most shinning moment however are when he works opposite Fry, and make lean-ins (his head pop into the picture and deliver a snide remark). He's good when he acts selfish, and engages in activities that would be unacceptable for a human character.

Bender does not shine when he acts obnoxious, just ot be obnoxious. Pharaoh was below average, and easily the worst of season 4. It had some great animation and really beautiful settings, but the story and characters made me cringe.

Originally posted by TheMadCapper:My final word - Futurama is a show that has several main characters. In my opinion, their screen time hierarchy should go something like this -1. Fry2. Leela3. Bender4. Amy/Zoidy/Hermes5. ProfAnd then the minor characters.

It's become a series about Bender, with everyone else as supporting characters and that is bad bad bad.

Some people love Bender Y'know as much as someone else would love any other character. I don't mind that you have your point of view but do you have to diss about Bender so much? Just remember he has fans that like him as much as you don't like him.

How is #3 a diss, out of the hundreds of characters in the show? Again, just because you are head over heels with Bender, almost as bad as Juliet, doesn't mean anyone else has to be.

My hierarchy of character importance to the show:

1) Fry. Without Fry, we have no plot. Without a plot we have no show. Without the show, we have no PEEL.2) Leela. Without Leela, the plot never gets moving in Space Pilot 3000, because she was the one that chased Fry all around the city, causing him to meet Bender, etc. Without her, Futurama would be a completely different show today. Also, the love interest gives Futurama that emotional/dramatic edge that seperates it from Generic Cartoon Comedy #328.3) Bender. Could Futurama have survived without Bender? It would be more likely than if Fry or Leela weren't in it. Bender is Chewbacca to Fry and Leela's Han and Luke, Ringo to John and Paul, Curly to Moe and Larry, Jarri Kurri to Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Sure, the show would have a better chance to survive without him than without Fry or Leela, but why would you want to?4) Farnsworth. Well, what's Futurama without PLanet Express?5) Everybody else. Non-essential, but dang, do they make everything better.

Fry is the key to it all, without him, we wouldnt even be here.Leela gives the show a nice twist, and is essential to get Fry moving and the plot advancing.Bender is a cool character. but imho he should stick with supporting roles most of the time. Fry's complete and utter dedication to him seems a bit strange at times...but then again, its Fry we're talking about...

Originally posted by static:Fry's complete and utter dedication to him seems a bit strange at times...but then again, its Fry we're talking about...

Also, Bender was the first friend he had since he came to the future(or ever judging by his story in "Where no fan has Gone Before" ) , and seems to be the only freind he hangs out with. Also Bender pays half the rent.

I think Bender is the one who keeps the show alive. I just got comic book no.2 and David X Cohen answers in the interview that Bender is his favourite Futurama character. He also say's that he wishes he could be more like Bender (except the kleptomania) because he can get what he wants when he wants it without any guilt etc. Mabey thats why he is so popular because alot of people would love to be just like him, myself included.

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Originally posted by Static:Fry's complete and utter dedication to him seems a bit strange at times...but then again, its Fry we're talking about...

Originally posted by haleys_comet:I think Bender is the one who keeps the show alive. I just got comic book no.2 and David X Cohen answers in the interview that Bender is his favourite Futurama character. He also say's that he wishes he could be more like Bender (except the kleptomania) because he can get what he wants when he wants it without any guilt etc. Mabey thats why he is so popular because alot of people would love to be just like him, myself included.

Back when Futurama first started, there was an interview where Matt Groening said that the best thing about Bender being a robot was that he could get away with more than a human character could. Bender can't be accused of being a bad role model. He's a robot; who is he a role model to?

I do think that's one of the reasons Bender is popular. He's certainly my favorite character.

As Matt pointed out in the commentary, what also makes Bender funny is that he is the "anti-robot:" he may think he has no emotions, but he's always pissed off.

In the Space Pilot 3000 commentary, everyone busts out laughing when Bender first puts on his "angry" look--for no reason. It is just his natural state, and that sets him apart. (Data may have emotions, but he's still usually a Robin-Williams-grade bliss-ninny.)

He is a clunky toylike thing--like something out of Clank! Clank! You're Dead! or Buck Rogers--and yet he is given an emotional range (and willingness to act on every urge and impulse) that the rest of the cast--and no normal human--would dare express.

That actually makes sense in a way: even though Bender has emotions, he didn't exactly go through an emotional-development stage in the factory; Fry's taking him through it now. According to Pilot, humans and robots don't "relate" to each other (outside of Hollywood), so if they're capable of emotion, one can see why Roberto is as screwed up as he is, and why other 'bots act as if their emotions don't exist.

The thing that always freaks me out about Bender: he sits. Look at him--he's not built for it, and he shouldn't need to do it anyway (he sleeps standing up, after all). He plops down on the back of his legs in order to "act human." For all his attitude, he really tries to relate and be accepted by his meatbag friends.

Just for the sake of argument: I actually like The Cryonic Woman. I can pick at least three episodes out of Season Four that (to me) are worse...

Originally posted by haleys_comet: Okay stop this is getting off track about what I'm arguing for. I'm just sticking up for what I like which is disagreable so we can we just agree that I like what I like and all you like what you like.

Sounds fair..

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Originally posted by TheMadCapper:My final word - Futurama is a show that has several main characters. In my opinion, their screen time hierarchy should go something like this -1. Fry2. Leela3. Bender4. Amy/Zoidy/Hermes5. ProfAnd then the minor characters.

It's become a series about Bender, with everyone else as supporting characters and that is bad bad bad.

Oh, look, an opinion.

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Originally posted by haleys_comet: Some people love Bender Y'know as much as someone else would love any other character. I don't mind that you have your point of view but do you have to diss about Bender so much? Just remember he has fans that like him as much as you don't like him.

He's not dissing or forgetting Bender has fans, he's allowed his opinion, as you've said twice.

Why is everybody so harsh on "That's Lobstertainment"? I think it's one of the most hilarious episodes! It's such a rich send-up of so many things. There is a ton of gags in it. Plus, Hank Azaria is Harold Zoid, for crying out loud.I'll admit, Zoidberg is probably my favorite character - although by a slim margin. (I love them all.) But even if he weren't, this is a great episode!

It even has awesome computer effects. Check out the old holovideo at the beginning. All of the text is three-dimensional! Every letter casts a perfect shadow!

Why is everybody so harsh on "That's Lobstertainment"? I think it's one of the most hilarious episodes! It's such a rich send-up of so many things. There is a ton of gags in it. Plus, Hank Azaria is Harold Zoid, for crying out loud.I'll admit, Zoidberg is probably my favorite character - although by a slim margin. (I love them all.) But even if he weren't, this is a great episode!

It even has awesome computer effects. Check out the old holovideo at the beginning. All of the text is three-dimensional! Every letter casts a perfect shadow!

"Sure, NOW he emotes!" - Harold Zoid

First a little friendly help. The link won't work, because the exclamation sign is included in the URL.

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Okay, to quote you from CGEF: "I think some of you always shoot low ratings at episodes where any character shows feelings for his family members or friends..."

Have you seen the rating for "Luck of the Fryish", "Parasites Lost" and "Amazon Women in the Mood"? People love the emotional episodes, they just have to wellwritten and funny.

I actually like the Zoidy part. But Fry and Leela had absolutely nothing to add to this episode, and just wasn't funny. I mean 2 weeks in a tar pit, come on! Leela isn't capable of such incompetence, I'm not so sure about Fry though.

Bender was kinda okay. But nothing I'll call memorable.

Okay, I'll stop. The biggest crime of all, however is "A Leela of Her Own" with a measly 67%!!

After seeing 'Kif Gets Knocked up a Notch' for the first time on TV, as opposed to other means, I thought my opinion of it might have gone up. But I'm affraid for me I think it's really weak and below par. I was really looking foward to it from the description before it aired. It had a few good moments, like the Angry Dome, but not enough to save it from being one of my worst eps.

Originally posted by CyberKnight:What shows how Futurama is regarded by the fans is the rating for the latest ep. The last time I checked, it was at 91% and 23/63 (Now at 92% and 16/63). That's a pretty good number of 90%+ eps.

I'm loathe to pick out a "terrible" episode, because there's always something in each one that I love.

"Now remember kids, each and every episode is special."

*WHAP*

That is so ture, good point! But overall there has got to be one epsidoe that you really hate.

I didn't enjoy "Leela's Homeworld" at all. I mean, they had been building up on the backstory for Leela's parents for 4 seasons and THAT was the best they could come up with? I don't mind Leela being a mutant, It just wasn't very long...<ahem> I mean it just wasn't very funny. Also, Less Than Heroes involves her parents again, and I didn't like that one. Maybe I WOULD rather think of Leela as a Hot Alien Babe :-P

A couple of really bad other ones were:A Bicyclops Built for TwoA Clone of my OwnA Leela of her OwnA Taste of Freedom

Nixbo, you said that "Lesser of Two Evils" was unmemorable? Man...I LOVED that ep. Here's a quote just off the top of my head, though it may not be perfect.

<Bender and Flexo fighting in front of Miss Universe Pageant crowd>Leela: Ohh! I don't know which one to shoot!Fry: Shoot Flexo! Shoot Flexo!Leela: <Glares at Fry>

There are 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Originally posted by Teral:Seems I'm in the minority again. I really liked many parts of that ep, ...

The only thing this thread proves is that Futurama is an amazingly wonderful series, and every episode has something in it that makes it special. Virtually every episode I see in this "worst of" thread also appears in the equally as long "best of" thread.

In defense of "That's Lobstertainment", I enjoy watching silent movies and have read a number of books on early cinema. As such, I laughed out loud at various jokes that probably went right over the head of someone who has never seen a movie made before 1977.

The writers of this show are very smart and well versed in a number of fields. A joke I don't laugh at because I don't get the reference probably made someone else spew milk through their nose. They are *that* funny.

As such, instead of "best of" or "worst of" threads concerning Futurama, we should have "Tier 1" and "Tier 2" threads instead, understanding that most other television programs could support "Tier 17" and "Tier 346" threads as well.

I didn't really care much for "A Leela of Her Own." But, then again, I did like "A Pharoh to Remember," too. It wasn't as bad as everyone says it was.

My bottom 10:1. That's Lobstertainment2. Less than Hero3. Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch (three okay ideas for episodes, but, in practice, they just became too boring and forgettable to be any good.)4. The Cryonic Woman5. I Dated a Robot(actually, neither is that bad. The 1st two acts on both are pretty good, but the 3rd acts on both really drag them down.)6. A Leela of Her Own (just not a favorite of mine. Perhaps because I'm not a huge Leela-fan like everyone else on this board.)7. A Big Piece of Garbage (just don't like it.)8. A Pharoh to Remember (wasn't *that* bad. I enjoyed Bender being his usual, cruel self. That's what he's like. He's tried to kill various PEers all the time..it's totally in his character.)9. Bender Gets Made (personal prefernce)10. Where the Buggalo Roam (okay 1st act, the rest is eh.)

Actually, I've never really liked Time Keeps on Slippin as much as others seem to. Aside from the Professor and his "Mutant Supermen" I found the episode kind of dull. The Fry and Leela romance was, to me, done a lot better in other episodes. Bender's globetrotter obsession wore out rather quickly for me as well.

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